


In Between (I Can Be Soft, You Can Behave)

by sweeterthankarma



Category: Lost
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Post-Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22155595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweeterthankarma/pseuds/sweeterthankarma
Summary: Sawyer is gentle around her, not in a belittling way but out of care, and every time he makes himself available to her and opens up, she lets him in.“Sweetheart,” he’ll say, voice practically a purr as his eyes don’t tear away from hers, and she'll smile, knowing.
Relationships: James "Sawyer" Ford/Claire Littleton
Comments: 14
Kudos: 13





	In Between (I Can Be Soft, You Can Behave)

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from the song "In Between" by Banks and 6lack. 
> 
> As the tags mention, this fic takes place in an AU post-rescue world where Claire and Sawyer trust each other and love each other, though they'll never say or admit the latter anytime soon. It's just a little something I started a long time ago while watching the show picking up on some sweet, understated moments between these two; I wanted to expand on those scenes but keep it vague enough to be interpreted by readers in any way they'd like.

The only time Sawyer ever calls Claire by anything but her name is when he calls her “sweetheart.”

It’s not the kind of nickname he tosses off half handedly to anyone he meets, and it’s not spoken with the same breath of nonchalance that he offers to Sun or Juliet or even Kate. Actually, it’s not even really a nickname at all; Claire is a sweetheart and Sawyer knows this, so in a way it feels like he’s just calling her by her name, speaking her truth.

But of course it’s more than that.

There’s no bite or taunt or even the slightest edge of playfulness to his words, and when he calls out to her, she responds instinctively. He’s gentle around her, not in a belittling way but out of care, and every time he makes himself available to her and opens up, she lets him in. 

“Sweetheart,” he’ll say, voice practically a purr as his eyes don’t tear away from hers, and she'll smile, knowing.

It’s who she is to him, who she’s always been to him, even when there was hardly anything between them at all. To put things in the simplest sense, Claire is the one person Sawyer has never considered betraying, and that means something. 

His verbal affection had slipped by and found its home in between the two of them easily, and Claire hadn’t tried to fight it. Anyone else would have. But no, they started as acquaintances — maybe they had settled a few seats away from each other at the airport terminal and maybe they’d passed each other on the way to the lavatory on the flight — and then the crash had made them friends, or at least something stronger than just people who simply knew each other due to mere circumstance. 

Whatever they are, it happened easily, and it still does.  It’s simple, like when she makes him an extra cup of coffee and his fingers linger on hers as she passes him the mug— and it doesn’t feel weird for her, that’s the important thing, it feels  _ right.  _ The same feeling spreads throughout her insides whenever he’ll put a careful hand on her back when passing her, and he doesn’t need to but he does.

“Sweetheart,” he’ll say, his voice drenched in sugar though he’s not asking for a thing, and Claire will be overcome with the need to be closer to him.

Sometimes there’s flirtation behind what he says, but it’s not the same way as how he speaks to anyone else; this time, it’s authentic. It doesn’t hurt, doesn’t offend, doesn’t make Claire feel anything but flattered and softened and a little bit honored. She respects Sawyer for what he is: a dedicated fighter, a smart and twisted mind, a capable protector— though she can protect herself, thank you very much, and Sawyer knows this. 

She thinks that’s why she likes him, and maybe even why he likes her back. Because even if the flirtation isn’t always there— and it isn’t; there’s some moments where it’s late at night and Sawyer isn’t trying to get into her bed, not again (not like he really has to try)— she knows he likes her for who she is, scars and baggage and trauma and all, and that’s more than most can say. 

Eventually, James will start calling her other names, like “sugar” and “baby” and “honey,” but for now, she’s “sweetheart.” And eventually, in time, he’ll let her call him “sweetheart” too. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr under the same username, sweeterthankarma.


End file.
